Rampur: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday carried out searches in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur and Saharanpur and Delhi in connection with the jailed Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, officials said.
According to the ED officials, ten locations, including the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University and its trust, were searched as part of the case registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The raids are aimed at tracing proceeds of crime, along with digital evidence, documents, and financial records connected to the diversion and utilisation of government funds, officials stated.
Azam Khan is currently serving a sentence in Rampur Jail alongside his son, Abdullah Azam.
The controversy over Jauhar University erupted after the Rampur Development Authority (RDA) flagged multiple violations inside the varsity, claiming that 38 out of 40 buildings were made without necessary approvals. The RDA had also asked the university to remove them on its own within a time frame, failing which the district administration will step in to raze them.
The order to demolish 38 buildings at Jauhar University caused a political upheaval. In late July, the Uttar Pradesh government’s Divisional Commissioner stayed, for now, the demolition order issued against 38 campus buildings by the District Magistrate of Rampur.
While the Samajwadi Party openly entered the political battle over the issue, uncertainty surrounding the future of Jauhar University continued.
Amid the ongoing developments, Azam Khan’s wife Tazeen Fatma on Tuesday appealed to the Uttar Pradesh government to reconsider the decision, stressing that the university was built for the public and that the interests of students and people should be kept in mind before taking any further action.
Speaking to IANS about the demolition order against Jauhar University, Tazeen Fatma said: “We urge the government to reconsider. In the interest of the nation and the public, they should rethink this decision, the decision to demolish.”
She further said that the government itself has to determine how it wants to proceed and take responsibility for its decisions. “Look, the government itself will decide how it functions; that is a decision for them to make. Is this how politics will continue in the state? The government must decide for itself,” she said.
“This is an injustice… Has any university been demolished in this country before?” she asked.
Asked whether she remained hopeful about a favourable resolution to the Jauhar University issue, Tazeen Fatma said that she continued to have faith in justice. She also appealed to the people to come forward and do whatever they could to protect the university.
The temporary stay on the demolition order has brought some relief, but the larger dispute over alleged construction violations and the future of the university continues to remain unresolved.
(IANS)
